Apparatus for the compaction of refuse material and the like

ABSTRACT

Compaction apparatus in which a material receiver chamber and a container are supported upon a carriage which tilts out of a cabinet to permit material to be inserted into the receiver chamber and which returns to a rest position within the cabinet for the compaction operation. Hydraulic rams pull a cylindrical compaction blade downwardly through the access opening of the receiver chamber, and the initial movement of the blade locks the carriage in its rest position. A carriage door permits the removal of the loaded container, and a latch holds the carriage in its rest position when the container is removed. A system of electrical interlocks ensures safe operation.

[451 Jan. 21, 1975 APPARATUS FOR THE COMPACTION OF REFUSE MATERIAL ANDTHE LIKE [76] Inventor: Milton Clar, 9408 Linden Ave.,

Bethesda, Md. 20014 22 Filed: June 9,1972

211 App]. No.: 261,325

[52] US. Cl 100/53, 100/99, 100/229 A,

100/269 R, 232/432, 312/327 [51] Int. Cl B30b 15/28 [58] Field of Search232/432, 43.3; 220/65;

100/53, 99, 256, 295, 229 R, 229 A, 245, 214, 269 R; 312/327 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 352,249 11/1886 Longenecker312/327 492,259 2/1893 Barrett 100/229 R 2,087,435 7/1937 I-Iubbert100/229 R 3,195,448 7/1965 Larsen et a1. 100/245 3,214,090 10/1965 Lewis232/432 3,529,766 9/1970 Mott et a1. 232/432 3,654,855 4/1972 Longo100/229 3,714,890 2/1973 Moon 100/229 A 3,734,006 5/1973 Hennells [00/533,756,150 9/1973 Bourgeois 100/229 A Primary Examiner-Billy J. WilhiteAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Shapiro and Shapiro [57] ABSTRACT Compactionapparatus in which a material receiver chamber and a container aresupported upon a carriage which tilts out of a cabinet to permitmaterial to be inserted into the receiver chamber and which re turns toa rest position within the cabinet for the compaction operation.Hydraulic rams pull a cylindrical compaction blade downwardly throughthe access opening of the receiver chamber, and the initial movement ofthe blade locks the carriage in its rest position. A carriage doorpermits the removal of the loaded container, and a latch holds thecarriage in its rest position when the container is removed. A system ofelectrical interlocks ensures safe operation.

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. PATENTEB I975 SHEET 9 BF 9 APPARATUS FOR THE COMPACTION OF REFUSEMATERIAL AND THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relatesto compaction apparatus for refuse material and the like and is moreparticularly concerned with simple and inexpensive hand-fed apparatusfor compacting material into bags or other small receptacles.

In recent years the market for refuse compaction apparatus has expandedgreatly. Various types of units have become widely available, includinglarge station ary packers which compact refuse into roll-off bodies oftrucks, smaller stationary packers which compact material intodetachable containers that are dumped into truck bodies by self-loadingmechanisms, and stationary packers which are used in conjunction withsmall receptacles such as bags or barrels. Despite the diversity ofavailable equipment, a need has existed for a small and inexpensivehand-fed compaction apparatus for use in garden-type apartments andother establishments of limited size. Heretofore, such establishmentshave used smaller versions of complex and expensive compaction apparatusor have had to be satisfied with rather crude and inefficient compactionapparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION It is a principal object of thepresent invention to provide improved compaction apparatus, which, whilesubstantially less expensive than larger units, is nonethe-less highlyefficient.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, handfedcompaction apparatus which may be employed safely by housewives orchildren and which compacts refuse and the like into conventionalreceptacles with high compaction ratios.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of theforegoing type which is not only simple to operate but which is easilyand safely maintained by custodial personnel.

Briefly stated, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is aso-called vertical packer. The compaction blade is housed within acabinet and is pulled downwardly by a pair of hydraulic rams forcompacting material through a material receiver chamber into acontainer. The material receiver chamber and the container are supportedupon a carriage which is pivotally mounted upon the cabinet for tiltingmovement about a horizontal axis between a rest position at which thecarriage is contained within the cabinet and an access position at whichthe upper end of the carriage tilts outwardly of the cabinet to exposethe access opening of the material receiver chamber. When the carriageis in its rest position, the access opening is inacessible, and once thecompaction apparatus has been actuated, the carriage is locked in itsrest position. When the container is full, an alarm is given, and thecontainer is removed from the carriage by means of a door in thecarriage which may be opened by a custodian. Removal of the containerlocks the carriage in its rest position. The container is a splitcylinder, which may receive a bag therein, which in turn may receive aliner therein to protect the bag during compaction. An electrical systemensures proper and safe operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be furtherdescribed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whichillustrate a preferred and exemplary embodiment, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of compaction apparatus in accordance withthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an upper blade guide employed in theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the invention, partially brokenaway;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the invention, partially broken away;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tilting carriage;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the invention, with the top cover removedto expose the internal parts;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the compaction blade;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the compaction blade;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a container employed in the invention,shown open;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the container, shown closed;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of a container latch;

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view, partially broken away, showing a bagand bag-liner which may be employed in the container;

FIG. 13 is a top plan of the bag liner;

FIG. 14 is a horizontal sectional view illustrating the manner in whichthe container is positioned upon the carriage;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary top plan view of a carriage latch;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the carriage latch;

FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram of the electrical system employed in theinvention; and

FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram of the hydraulic system employed in theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings, andinitially to FIG. 1 thereof, the compaction apparatus of the inventioncomprises a cabinet 10, which may be of generally rectangularconfiguration, having a carriage l2 pivotally supported thereon near thebottom of the carriage and the cabinet. In its rest position thecarriage is housed within the cabinet, but the upper end may be tiltedoutwardly (even beyond the position shown in FIG. I) by pulling upon ahandle 14 to expose the access opening 16 of a material receiverchamber. The carriage is provided with a locked door 18 so that accessto the container may be obtained by a custodian. As shown in FIG. 1, thefront wall of the cabinet has a rectangular opening 20 through which thecarriage tilts. An actuator button 22 and a signal lamp 24 are alsoprovided upon the front wall; their functions will be described morefully hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 5, the carriage is a hollow shell having the opening 16in the top wall thereof, the top wall slanting downwardly at the rearportion 22' thereof to permit upper end of the carriage to be tippedforwardly from the cabinet about the axis indicated at A in FIG. 5without interference between the top wall of the carriage and the topedge of the opening 20 (FIG. 1) through which the carriage tilts. Thepivotal movement is provided by means of hinges 24' at an intermediateregion of the bottom wall 26, (FIGS. 3 and 4) coupling the bottom wall26 of the carriage to the bottom frame structure of the cabinetsufficiently above the floor to permit the carriage to tilt. Stops 28(FIGS. 3 and 4) limit the outward tilting movement of the carriage.Inward tilting movement is limited by engagement of the bottom of thecarriage with the bottom frame of the cabinet. The carriage has frontand side walls in addition to the top and bottom walls but may be openat the back.

As shown in FIG. 4, a cylindrical blade guide 30 depends from theopening 16. This guide constitutes the material receiver chamber orcharging box. Beneath the blade guide a cylindrical container 32 issupported upon the bottom wall 26 of the carriage. As shown in FIG. 14,the container is positioned against a pair of carriage standards 34, theupper portions of which assist in supporting the blade guide 30. A plate36 mounted on the back of the door 18 forces the container against thestandards 34 when the door is closed.

FIGS. 9 ll illustrate the container in greater detail. As shown, thecontainer may be a split cylinder having a pair of hemicylinder walls 38and 40 pivotally connected along a longitudinal edge thereof. Adjacentto the opposite edge latches 42 are provided. The latches may be aconventional over-center type as shown in FIG. 11. A circular bottomwall 44 may be affixed to one of the walls 38 and 40, such as wall 40.During compaction the container is closed by the latches 42. It isopened to remove the compacted material.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a bag and liner assembly which may beinserted within the container. The bag 46 may be a conventional paper orplastic bag, the open end of which may be folded back to form a cuff 48over the top of the container 32. To prevent cutting of the bag by sharpfragments during compaction, a sheet metal liner 50 may be inserted inthe bag. The liner may comprise a pair of overlapped cylinder parts 52and 54, which may be constituted by a series of straight segments.Portions of the upper edges of the cylinder parts are rolled over toprovide sleeves 56 which receive a coil spring 58, the ends of which arejoined to form a continuous spring which holds the upper ends of thecylinder parts 52 and 54 together. The lower ends of the cylinder partsare free,,so that the liner may be easily lifted from the refuse-filledbag with minimal resistance.

The compaction blade structure is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. Theblade 60 is hollow or tubular and may comprise a cylindrical side wall62 closed at the bottom by a leading end wall 64, which constitutes theblade or platen surface that actually contacts the compacted material.The top or trailing end of the blade may be open. A bar 66 extendsacross the top of the blade, being supported in slots 68 in the sidewall. Notched plates 70 engage the bar from within the blade to stiffenthe blade-bar structure, which may be welded together. Bores 72 in theends of the bar receive pins for coupling piston rods of hydraulic ramsto the blade structure.

As shown in FIG. 3, hydraulic rams 74 are located at opposite sides ofthe carriage. The lower ends of the cylinders of the rams are connectedto the cabinet frame by means of brackets 76, the piston rods beingconnected to the blade by pins 77. The hydraulic rams are driven from apower pack designated generally by reference numeral 78 in FIG. 3.

Movement of the blade in the upper part of the cabinet is guided by asplit cylinder 80 shown in FIG. 2. The cylinder parts are provided withflanges 82 joined at the upper ends thereof by blocks 84. As shown inFIGS. 4 and 6, the cylindrical guide 80 is supported within the housingby means of vertical channel members 86 and 88 of the cabinet frame,which engage the lower portion of the guide. Rod 66 of the bladestructure passes through slots defined by the spaced flanges 82 of theblade guide. The upper ends of channels 86 and the associated mountingbrackets for the cylindrical blade guide are also slotted as shown inFIG. 4 for passage of the bar 66. FIG. 3 shows the blade at itslowermost position fully extended through the blade guide 30 and intothe container 32. In its uppermost or fully retracted position, thelower end of the blade is just above the top of the carriage, permittingthe carriage to be tilted from the cabinet. Once the blade commences itsdownward movement and enters the blade guide 30, the carriage is therebylocked within the cabinet. In this position, the carriage fits closelywithin cabinet opening 20, so as to prevent access to the cabinet by theuser.

As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the bar 66 is provided with a shoe or cam90 for actuating a group of switches LS3, LS5, LS2 and LS4 supported inthe cabinet along the path of the cam 90. The operation of theseswitches and other switches, LS1 and LS6, will become apparenthereinafter in connection with the description of FIGS. 17 and 18.

As shown in FIG. 18, the power pack for driving the hydraulic rams 74may comprise a conventional pump 91 driven by an electric motor 92. Thepump supplies hydraulic fluid to the rams 74 from a reservoir 94 bymeans of a three-position solenoid-actuated valve 96. In the center orneutral position of the valve the hydraulic fluid is returned to thereservoir as shown in FIG. 18. When the valve is moved to the left bysolenoid A, hydraulic fluid is supplied to the tops of the cylinders ofram 74, driving the pistons downwardly for the power stroke of theblade. When the valve 96 is shifted to the right by solenoid B, the ramsmove the blade in the opposite direction for its retraction stroke. Apressure switch 98 senses the hydraulic pressure supplied to the ramsfor a purpose to be described. An overload valve is shown at 100.

FIG. 17 illustrates an electrical system for controlling the operationof the hydraulic system of FIG. 18. The pump motor 92 is energized fromthe volt AC supply when relay CRl is energized. The energization ofrelay CR1 is initiated by momentary closure of switch PBl actuated bythe actuator button 22 (see FIG. I), a circuit being completed from thehot side of the AC supply through conductor 102, fuse 104, conductor106, contact 108 of relay CR2, conductor 110, contacts 112 of switchPBl, conductor 114, and the coil of relay CR1 to the grounded side ofthe AC supply. A holding circuit for relay CR1 is completed by the relayitself through conductor 114, conductor I16, conductor 118, contact ofthe relay, conductor 122, switch LS3, and conductor 124 back toconductor 110. Energization of relay CR1 completes a circuit for thepump motor 92 from the hot side of the AC supply through conductor 126and contact 128 of the relay, one side of the motor 92 being connectedto the grounded side of the supply by conductor 130.

Momentary closure of switch PBl also completes a circuit for energizingsolenoid A, through conductor 110, contacts 1 12, conductor 150,contacts 152, switch LS5, conductor 154, contact 134 of a relay CR3, andthrough solenoid A and conductor 136 to the ground conductor 130.Energization of relay CR1 completes a holding circuit for solenoid A,which may be traced through conductor 110, conductor 124, switch LS3,conductor 122, contact 120 of relay CR1, conductor 132, and contact 134of relay CR3.

When solenoid A is energized, the control valve 96 (FIG. 18) is shiftedto cause the commencement of the downward movement of the blade from itsnormal rest position near the top of the cabinet. Switch LS3 is heldopen by the cam 90 associated with the blade when the blade is in itsfully retracted position. As the blade moves downwardly, switch LS3closes to the position illustrated in FIG. 17, permitting theapplication of power to contact 120 of relay CR1 and permittingcompletion of the circuits through this contact, as referred to above.Any material in the receiver chamber and container is compacted.

When the blade reaches almost to its lowermost position, switch LS4 istransferred so as to close upon contact 138. AC power is then appliedfrom conductor 118 through switch LS4 and conductor 140 to to relay CR3,energizing relay CR3, causing the relay to transfer its contacts. Poweris then applied from conductor 132 through contact 142 to solenoid B,energizing this solenoid. Solenoid A is deenergized upon energization ofrelay CR3, because power is no longer supplied to contact 134 of therelay. When relay CR3 is energized, a holding circuit for the relay iscompleted by means of conductor 140, contact 144 and conductor 118 backto contact 120 of relay CR1.

Energization of solenoid B shifts the control valve 96 so as to retractthe blade. Switch LS4 opens, but the blade continues to retract until itreaches almost to its uppermost position, at which time switch LS3 isopened, breaking the holding circuit for relays CR1 and CR3 throughcontact 120. The system is thus deenergized.

Switch' LS5 is a safety override switch. Once the blade has moved down afew inches, switch LS5 transfers from contact 146 to contact 148. Now,instead of energizing solenoid A through contact 146, conductor 154, andcontact 134, actuation of switch PBl closes a circuit from conductor110, through contacts 112, conductor 150, contacts 152, contact 148 ofswitch LS5, and conductor 156 to the coil of relay CR3, energizing therelay and solenoid B, and causing the blade to retract, as long asswitch PE] is held actuated. Thus, the same actuation switch may beemployed for causing the blade to move downwardly and for later causingthe blade to retract. When the blade returns to its upward position,switch LS5 transfers again to engage contact 146 to prepare the bladefor downward movement.

As the blade approaches its lowermost position, a zone switch LS2 isclosed. This will have no effect unless pressure switch 98 is closed,indicating by the hydraulic pressure (and thus the load on the blade)that the container is full. If the pressure switch is closed and switchLS2 is closed, relay CR2 will be energized, breaking the circuit tocontact 108 and removing power from conductor 110 and the componentssupplied therefrom. Power will be applied to contact 158, energizingtransformer 160 and full indicator lamp 24 (see FIG. 1). A holdingcircuit for relay CR2 is completed through contact 162 and switch LS1,which is held in the position shown when door 18 of the carriage isclosed. Under these conditions the compaction blade will remain extendedinto the container, and the user will be unable to operate the blade.

When a custodian notices the full indication and opens the door 18,switch LS1 will transfer its contacts, de-energizing relay CR2 and lamp24 and returning power to conductor 110. If switch FBI is then actuated,relay CR1 and relay CR3 will be energized (LS5 will be closed on contact148) and the blade will retract. When the blade retracts enough to closeswitch LS5 on contact 146, the circuit to relay CR3 through contact 148will be broken, but a new circuit will be completed through contact 146,conductor 154, conductor 164, contacts 166 of switch LS1, and conductor168, to con tinue the retraction of the blade until the opening ofswitch LS3 de-energizes the pump. When an empty container is placedwithin the carriage and the door 18 is closed, the apparatus is readyfor use again.

If an attempt is made to operate the apparatus with the carriage awayfrom its rest position, switch LS6 will close (being held open by thecarriage in its rest position), completing a circuit to relay CR3 if thesafety override switch is closed upon contact 146, and return ing theblade to its fully retracted position. This may occur if the carriage isleft open for a long period and if the compaction blade driftsdownwardly because of seepage of hydraulic fluid.

The weight of the carriage with a container thereon is preferablycounterbalanced with respect to the pivotal axis A, so that a strongeffort is not required to tilt the carriage outwardly. The carriage mustbe pulled to expose the access opening 16, and if pulled out fully willmove slightly over-center. It will return to the rest position whenpushed over-center in the opposite direction. Suitable dampers 169 (FIG.4) may be employed to buffer the return of the carriage within thecabinet.

When the door 18 is opened and the container is removed, the balance ofthe carriage will change, tending to tip the carriage outwardly. Anautomatic latch 170 may be employed as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 toprevent this. The latch may comprise a lever 172 pivotally mounted onthe bottom 26 of the carriage at 174 and pressed rearwardly by thecontainer 32 against the bias of a spring 176. When the container ismoved away from channel 88, the lever 172 is turned by spring 176 untilit engages keeper 178 mounted on channel 88, latching the carriage inits rest position. When the container is replaced, the lever is moved tounlatch the carriage.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changescan be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles andspirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appendedclaims.

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for compacting material such as refuse, comprising acabinet having a frame, a carriage having a shell with an opening at thetop thereof through which said material may be admitted to the shell,means for pivotally supporting said carriage upon said frame formovement about a horizontal pivotal axis between a rest position atwhich said opening is within said cabinet and is inaccessible and anaccess position at which said opening projects outside said cabinet andis accessible for the reception of material, and means within saidcabinet for compacting material within said carriage when said carriageis in its rest position, said carriage having a substantially flatbottom wall against which said material is compacted by said compactingmeans, said means for pivotally supporting said carriage comprising ahinge coupling said bottom wall to said frame at an intermediate regionof said substantially flat bottom wall above the lower extremity of thecabinet, whereby said carriage may be substantially counterbalanced forpivotal movement about said pivotal axis, said frame having meansengaging and supporting said bottom wall from below when said carriageis in said rest position with said substantially flat bottom wallextending substantially horizontally at opposite sides of said pivotalaxis.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said compacting meanscomprises a compaction blade supported in said cabinet for movementthrough said opening when said carriage is in its rest position, andmeans for locking said carriage in its rest position when said blademoves to compact material through said opening.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, said compacting meanscomprising a compaction blade supported for reciprocation in saidcabinet and a pair of hydraulic rams supported at opposite sides of saidcabinet for pulling said blade through said opening into the carriage.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, further comprising blade guidemeans supported upon said carriage for guiding the movement of saidblade after the blade passes through said opening into the carriage andfor then locking the carriage in its rest position.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, further comprising blade guidemeans supported within said cabinet adjacent to said carriage forguiding the movement of said blade toward and away from said opening.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising means forpreventing operation of said compacting means to compact material whensaid carriage is moved from its rest position.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a containerfor receiving said material to be compacted, and wherein said carriagehas means for supporting said container in line with said opening and adoor through which said container may be removed from said carriage.

8. Apparatus for compacting material such as refuse, comprising acabinet, a carriage having a shell with an opening at one end thereofthrough which said material may be admitted to the shell, means forpivotally supporting said carriage upon said cabinet for movement abouta horizontal pivotal axis between a rest position at which said openingis within said cabinet and is inaccessible and an access position atwhich said opening projects outside said cabinet and is accessible forthe reception of material, means within said cabinet for compactingmaterial within said carriage is in its rest position, and a containerfor receiving material to be compacted, said carriage having means forsupporting said container in line with said opening when said carriageis in its said positions and during movement therebetween, and a doorthrough which said container may be removed from said carriage.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, further comprising means forlatching said carriage in its rest position when said container isremoved from said carriage.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said carriage has abottom wall constituting the means for supporting the container.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said container is alongitudinally split cylinder.

12. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said container has abag therein containing bag liner means for protecting the bag from thematerial therein.

13. Apparatus in accordance with claim 12, wherein the liner means is alongitudinally split cylinder with one end of the parts thereof joined.

14. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, further comprising means forpreventing operation of said compacting means to compact material whensaid door is open.

15. A compaction apparatus comprising a reciprocating compaction bladehaving a side wall and an end wall and a receptacle into which materialis compacted by said blade, further characterized in the provision ofblade guide means for guiding the movement of said blade and having apair of slots along the direction of blade movement, bar elementsextending through said slots and connected with said blade, and a pairof rams coupled to said bar elements for moving said blade toward andaway from said receptacle, said bar elements being coupled to the sidewall of the blade and said rams extending from said bar elements besidesaid receptacle and pulling the blade toward the receptacle, saidreceptacle having means supporting it for pivotal movement relative tosaid blade guide means for providing access to said receptacle.

16. Apparatus for compacting material such as refuse, comprising acabinet having a frame and having a carriage with a substantially flatbottom wall upon which said material is to be compacted, means includinga hinge coupling an intermediate region of said substantially flatbottom wall to said frame above the lower extremity of the cabinet forpivotally supporting said carriage for movement about a horizontalpivotal axis between a rest position at which said substantially flatbottom wall extends substantially horizontally in said cabinet atopposite sides of said pivotal axis for the compaction of materialthereon and an access position at which said carriage projects from saidcabinet and said bottom wall is tilted, whereby said carriage may besubstantially counterbalanced for movement about said pivotal axis, saidframe having means engaging and supporting said bottom wall horizontallyfrom below when said carriage is in said rest position, and means withinsaid cabinet for compacting material upon said bottom wall of saidcarriage when said carriage is in said rest position.

17. Apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the counterbalancing issuch that said carriage can be moved over-center to said access positionand then over-center to said rest position.

18. Compaction apparatus comprising a cabinet having a carriage with abottom wall upon which refuse material or the like is to be compacted insaid cabinet and having a hollow reciprocative compaction blade in saidcabinet with a material-contacting bottom end wall and a side wallextending upwardly therefrom, means for moving said blade downwardly,with its bottom end wall leading, from a first position away from saidbottom wall of said carriage to a second position closer to said bottomwall of said carriage and for returning said blade to said firstposition, said blade moving means comprising a pair of fluid-drivenvertical rams having cylinders mounted at opposite sides of saidcarriage and having pistons with piston rods extending upwardlytherefrom to a region of said blade adjacent the top end thereof, wheresaid rods are coupled to said blade, said piston rods being drawndownwardly into said cylinders to move said blade to said secondposition, and the side wall of said blade extending downwardly for asubstantial distance between said cylinders when said blade is at saidsecond position, and means for supporting said carriage for movementoutwardly of said cabinet transverse to the direction of movement ofsaid blade to provide access to the interior of said carriage outsidesaid cabinet.

19. Compaction apparatus in accordance with claim 18, further comprisingan open-top receptacle supported on said bottom wall of said cabinet andinto which said material is compacted, said bottom end wall of saidblade being located in said receptacle when said blade is at said secondposition.

20. Compaction apparatus in accordance with claim 18, wherein said bladeis tubular and further comprising tubular means receiving said blade forguiding the movement of said blade, said tubular means having a pair ofvertical slots at opposite sides thereof extending along the directionof movement of said blade, said piston rods being coupled to said bladeby means extending through and movable along said slots.

21. Compaction apparatus in accordance with claim 18, further comprisingmeans for guiding the movement of said blade and including a pair ofchannels extending along the direction of blade movement at oppositesides of said blade and elements fixed to said blade and guided by saidchannels.

1. Apparatus for compacting material such as refuse, comprising acabinet having a frame, a carriage having a shell with an opening at thetop thereof through which said material may be admitted to the shell,means for pivotally supporting said carriage upon said frame formovement about a horizontal pivotal axis between a rest position atwhich said opening is within said cabinet and is inaccessible and anaccess position at which said opening projects outside said cabinet andis accessible for the reception of material, and means within saidcabinet for compacting material within said carriage when said carriageis in its rest position, said carriage having a substantially flatbottom wall against which said material is compacted by said compactingmeans, said means for pivotally supporting said carriage comprising ahinge coupling said bottom wall to said frame at an intermediate regionof said substantially flat bottom wall above the lower extremity of thecabinet, whereby said carriage may be substantially counterbalanced forpivotal movement about said pivotal axis, said frame having meansengaging and supporting said bottom wall from below when said carriageis in said rest position with said substantially flat bottom wallextending substantially horizontally at opposite sides of said pivotalaxis.
 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said compactingmeans comprises a compaction blade supported in said cabinet formovement through said opening when said carriage is in its restposition, and means for locking said carriage in its rest position whensaid blade moves to compact material through said opening.
 3. Apparatusin accordance with claim 1, said compacting means comprising acompaction blade supported for reciprocation in said cabinet and a pairof hydraulic rams supported at opposite sides of said cabinet forpulling said blade through said opening into the carriage.
 4. Apparatusin accordance with claim 3, further comprising blade guide meanssupported upon said carriage for guiding the movement of said bladeafter the blade passes through said opening into the carriage and forthen locking the carriage in its rest position.
 5. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 4, further comprising blade guide means supportedwithin said cabinet adjacent to said carriage for guiding the movementof said blade toward and away from said opening.
 6. Apparatus inaccordance with claim 1, further comprising means for preventingoperation of said compacting means to compact material when saidcarriage is moved from its rest position.
 7. Apparatus in accordancewith claim 1, further comprising a container for receiving said materialto be compacted, and wherein said carriage has Means for supporting saidcontainer in line with said opening and a door through which saidcontainer may be removed from said carriage.
 8. Apparatus for compactingmaterial such as refuse, comprising a cabinet, a carriage having a shellwith an opening at one end thereof through which said material may beadmitted to the shell, means for pivotally supporting said carriage uponsaid cabinet for movement about a horizontal pivotal axis between a restposition at which said opening is within said cabinet and isinaccessible and an access position at which said opening projectsoutside said cabinet and is accessible for the reception of material,means within said cabinet for compacting material within said carriageis in its rest position, and a container for receiving material to becompacted, said carriage having means for supporting said container inline with said opening when said carriage is in its said positions andduring movement therebetween, and a door through which said containermay be removed from said carriage.
 9. Apparatus in accordance with claim8, further comprising means for latching said carriage in its restposition when said container is removed from said carriage. 10.Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein said carriage has a bottomwall constituting the means for supporting the container.
 11. Apparatusin accordance with claim 8, wherein said container is a longitudinallysplit cylinder.
 12. Apparatus in accordance with claim 8, wherein saidcontainer has a bag therein containing bag liner means for protectingthe bag from the material therein.
 13. Apparatus in accordance withclaim 12, wherein the liner means is a longitudinally split cylinderwith one end of the parts thereof joined.
 14. Apparatus in accordancewith claim 8, further comprising means for preventing operation of saidcompacting means to compact material when said door is open.
 15. Acompaction apparatus comprising a reciprocating compaction blade havinga side wall and an end wall and a receptacle into which material iscompacted by said blade, further characterized in the provision of bladeguide means for guiding the movement of said blade and having a pair ofslots along the direction of blade movement, bar elements extendingthrough said slots and connected with said blade, and a pair of ramscoupled to said bar elements for moving said blade toward and away fromsaid receptacle, said bar elements being coupled to the side wall of theblade and said rams extending from said bar elements beside saidreceptacle and pulling the blade toward the receptacle, said receptaclehaving means supporting it for pivotal movement relative to said bladeguide means for providing access to said receptacle.
 16. Apparatus forcompacting material such as refuse, comprising a cabinet having a frameand having a carriage with a substantially flat bottom wall upon whichsaid material is to be compacted, means including a hinge coupling anintermediate region of said substantially flat bottom wall to said frameabove the lower extremity of the cabinet for pivotally supporting saidcarriage for movement about a horizontal pivotal axis between a restposition at which said substantially flat bottom wall extendssubstantially horizontally in said cabinet at opposite sides of saidpivotal axis for the compaction of material thereon and an accessposition at which said carriage projects from said cabinet and saidbottom wall is tilted, whereby said carriage may be substantiallycounterbalanced for movement about said pivotal axis, said frame havingmeans engaging and supporting said bottom wall horizontally from belowwhen said carriage is in said rest position, and means within saidcabinet for compacting material upon said bottom wall of said carriagewhen said carriage is in said rest position.
 17. Apparatus as set forthin claim 16, wherein the counterbalancing is such that said carriage canbe moved over-center to said access position and then over-center tosaId rest position.
 18. Compaction apparatus comprising a cabinet havinga carriage with a bottom wall upon which refuse material or the like isto be compacted in said cabinet and having a hollow reciprocativecompaction blade in said cabinet with a material-contacting bottom endwall and a side wall extending upwardly therefrom, means for moving saidblade downwardly, with its bottom end wall leading, from a firstposition away from said bottom wall of said carriage to a secondposition closer to said bottom wall of said carriage and for returningsaid blade to said first position, said blade moving means comprising apair of fluid-driven vertical rams having cylinders mounted at oppositesides of said carriage and having pistons with piston rods extendingupwardly therefrom to a region of said blade adjacent the top endthereof, where said rods are coupled to said blade, said piston rodsbeing drawn downwardly into said cylinders to move said blade to saidsecond position, and the side wall of said blade extending downwardlyfor a substantial distance between said cylinders when said blade is atsaid second position, and means for supporting said carriage formovement outwardly of said cabinet transverse to the direction ofmovement of said blade to provide access to the interior of saidcarriage outside said cabinet.
 19. Compaction apparatus in accordancewith claim 18, further comprising an open-top receptacle supported onsaid bottom wall of said cabinet and into which said material iscompacted, said bottom end wall of said blade being located in saidreceptacle when said blade is at said second position.
 20. Compactionapparatus in accordance with claim 18, wherein said blade is tubular andfurther comprising tubular means receiving said blade for guiding themovement of said blade, said tubular means having a pair of verticalslots at opposite sides thereof extending along the direction ofmovement of said blade, said piston rods being coupled to said blade bymeans extending through and movable along said slots.
 21. Compactionapparatus in accordance with claim 18, further comprising means forguiding the movement of said blade and including a pair of channelsextending along the direction of blade movement at opposite sides ofsaid blade and elements fixed to said blade and guided by said channels.